Tube toy



March 20, 1956 M. K. WINDLE 2,738,616

TUBE TOY Filed June 26, 1955 IN VEN TOR.'

ATTORNEYS,

United States P21136315" TUBE TOY Mary K. Windle, Evanston, Ill. Application June 26, 1956, Serial No. 364,290

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-1) This invention relates to a tube toy, and more particularly to a series of flexible tubes which are translucent or completely transparent and which contain colored liquids.

An object of the invention is to provide a toy producing singular and unusual effects by reason of the use of color liquid portions within tubes, whereby upon the manipulation of the tubes, fragments or blocks of the liquid may be supported in separated attractive designs. A further object is to provide a toy comprising a plurality of tubes, each of which may be knotted, twisted or modified in different designs to produce attractive eifects, the tubes being linked or otherwise united in a body. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a plurality of tubes embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view of a tube; and Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. l but showing at least one of the tube rings formed in a shape to fragment or divide the liquid body therein into blocks or separate areas which retain unusual positions, often contrary to gravity.

In the illustration given, 10 designates a tube ring having therein a body of liquid 11 which substantially fills one-half of the ring. A second tube ring is designated by the numeral 12 and this ring also contains a colored liquid indicated by the numeral 13. A third ring 14 is provided similarly with a liquid body 15.

Each of the tubes is joined at one end to make a ring or loop, and the joints may be formed by any effective means, as, for example, by heat sealing, or by plastic cement. The tube may be formed not only in the circular shape illustrated, but in a plurality of other shapes. When a series of tubes are used to make the toy, the rings may be linked together, as illustrated more clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. If desired, the tubing may have patterns or areas of color thereon. For example, it may be colorless in general, but have black specks polka dotted on it or specks or patterns of any other color.

The tubing may be formed of plastic or any other suitable translucent or transparent material. The liquid may be clear, semi-opaque, or opaque, and may be colored or colorless. It may be phosphorescent or have other unusual properties. I prefer to employ a liquid which is inert and which will not be injurious if the tube is broken and the child drinks a portion of the liquid.

Where more than one tube is used to make the toy, one tube may contain liquid of a difierent color from that of the other tube or tubes. For instance, if the form of the toy were three rings, or loops of tubing linked together, one ring might be partially filled with blue liquid, another with red, and a third with green liquid. Or, for instance, if the toy consisted of a loose knot joined to a ring, or a knot and a ring not joined to each other, the knot might be partially filled with green liquid and the ring with yellow. The knot might be phosphorescent and the ring not phosphorescent, or both might be phosphorescent.

I have found that ordinary distilled water containing a'vegetable dye or coloring material may be employed as a satisfactory liquid for partial filling of the tube, but it will be understood that any other suitable colored fluid may be employed. Further, instead of employing a continuous tube in the shape of a ring as illustrated, the tube may be .a single elongated strip having closures at the ends and, if desired, partitions therein. The tube thus formed may be tied into knots or other shapes to give the desired effects. While the tube in the straight form or in the ring form illustrated may be provided with any number of partitions, I have found that extremely attractive'results are obtained by having no partitions in the case of the ring but by simply closing the ends of the tube when the tube is in a non-circular shape.

In the specific illustration given, I have shown the tube 10 provided with spaced partitions 16, between which on one side is a colored liquid 17 of one color and which contrasts with the color of the liquid 11 on the other side of the partitions. It will be understood, however, that any number of partitions may be employed in the tube ring or other shape in which the tube may be formed. The partitions may form any number of interior sealed compartments, each of which may contain liquid and which may be of diiferent colors. For example, one tube in a series of rings, knots or spirals may be so divided and the other tubes may be undivided interiorly into compartments. One compartment may be filled partially with, for instance, blue liquid, another could be partially filled with green liquid, and another could be partially filled with colorless iquid. Any combination of rings, knots, twists or spirals may be employed, and one or more of the tubes making up this combination may be divided interiorly into compartments. If the toy is to be made of a single tube, this tube may be divided as described. Whether one or more tubes are used, if they are interiorly divided, the separate compartments may be either partially filled with liquids of different colors or with liquids of the same color or they may be colorless, and some compartments might be partially filled and some left unfilled.

Small objects may be put into one or more of the tubes making up this toy. For example, gold dust, tinfoil, sparkle dust, beads, bits of glass, bits of wire, bits of wood, or other sufiiciently small objects may be used. The small objects may be put into a tube or a section of an interiorly divided tube, either partially filled with colored or colorless liquid, or they may be put into a tube with unfilled liquid.

If the liquid used for filling the tube is aqueous, a little oil may be added for variety and either the aqueous fiuid or the oil may be colored or colorless. Small objects as described may be added to the tube which is completely filled with either colored or colorless liquid.

It will be understood that any one or all of the above mentioned combinations of shapes of tubing, divisions of tubing, color tubing or color of liquid, small objects and other added liquid to the main liquid, may be employed in any combination in the forming of an extremely interesting toy.

In the simple form of tube toy illustrated, which consists of three rings of tubing, each partially filled with clear, colored liquid, for example, one being red, another blue and another green, and each ring linked through another ring to form a chain, when the rings are jiggled, raised, lowered, or moved in any way, the colored liquid in them will flow and give a variety of changing efiects in the tubes. Because the tubing is flexible, the rings may be knotted or twisted into innumerable shapes and all the time that they are being manipulated, the liquid will move around inside the tubes. Air bubbles Patented Mar. 20, 1956 spasms 9 Q Which form in the liquid add. to the interest and beauty of the action of the liquid in the tube.

For example, as illustrated in Fig. 3, when tube 12 is knotted and twisted as illustrated, the coloring matter 13 therein is broken by a large number of air bubbles or air areas into a group of color blocks which are constantly changing or moving as the structure is shifted.

The breaking up of the color block into a large number of areas, as illustrated in Fig. 3, gives a fascinating variety of shapes and color efiects which are highly pleasing to one working with the tubing. When it is desired to consolidate the colors in one continuous block, this may be done by shaking the tube repeatedly. A strange action occurs when the tube is knotted or twisted, as illustrated in connection with tube 12 in Fig. 3, in that the blocks of liquid formed in the testing operation tend to resist the natural pull of gravity, either due to the friction within the tube or to the air trapped therein, so that the blocks remain in unusual positions leaving portions of the liquid in suspended positions.

If the tubing used is completely clear and transparent, and where two tubes containing different colored liquids overlap, a change of color is produced as, for example, when red and blue overlap, the overlapping areas will be violet. Should more than three rings be added, the rings may be twisted or knotted into even more complex shape. Where a large number of tubes are employed, it may be desired to have several tubes with the same color and it is not necessary that all the tubes be filled with liquids of different colors. For instance, if there are five tube rings, one might be red, two blue, one yellow and one green. If particles of tinfoil, sparkle dust, beads, balls, or any other small objects be added to the liquid in the tube rings, these objects will also move with the flow of the liquid or the liquid will flow through them or around them, or they will block the flow of liquid and so add variety to the movement of the liquid and to the appearance of the toy.

In the illustration given, 18 designates beads or other bits of particles added for the purpose described.

The toy is found to be extremely interesting, beautiful and artistically educational. Since the tube can be twisted, pulled and knotted into innumerable combinations of shapes, it will be almost impossible to ever repea he sam combination of balance of colored liquid, shape of the tubes, overlapping of the color in one or more tubes with that of another, and distribution of objects in the tubes. Ever-changing designs can be made with the toy.

If desired, the toy may be hung from the ceiling to form a mobile, and weights may be added to give greater motion. The toy may be used also as a piece of decorated sculpture, since it can be twisted into a stable standing position. Another use of the toy is as a Christmas tree ornament. The tubes, rings or lengths may be joined in spirals, knots or twists and in great quantity to make decorative hanging meshes and nets, or they may be stretched to form decorative screens. On a smaller scale, the tube toy may be used for ear rings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, pins, and for all types of such ornamental jewelry. The toy may also be used in floral decorations and for a variety of other uses.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth embodiments of the invention in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A tube toy, comprising a plurality of closed rings formed from flexible translucent tubes, each ring comprising one or more longitudinally-extending sealed chambers each partially filled with a colored transparent liquid, the remainder of each chamber being an air space, the air within the chambers serving to provide bubbles in the liquid and to break the liquid into longitudinal blocks within the chambers and maintain the blocks of liquid in separated relation when the tubes are twisted into knot form whereby varied individual and overlapped color patterns are presented.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 658,403 Stephens Sept. 25, 1900 2,237,833 Lipic Apr. 8, 1941 2,514,844 Cohen July 11, 1950 2,644,890 Hollihan July 7, 1953 

